For many people, kitchen appliances mean big expenses, loss of counter space, or both. I'm here to tell you that that is not always the case, and when you do lose counter space it is for a good cause. Luckily, 4 out of 5 of these appliances can be stowed away in a cabinet and are even designed to be space-saving. Now here's the fun part, how these 5 appliances will save you money...

Coffee Maker

If you forgo a coffee maker but spend 5 bucks at Starbucks every morning we need to have a talk. Most coffee makers are relatively cheap and all of them are easy to use. The one downside to a coffee maker is that it can take up needed real estate on your counter. Even then, depending on how much coffee you need, you can buy a smaller machine that does not make a whole 10 cups.

"But I like my mocha-frappa-lotta-blah-blah." I am going to let you in on a little secret, most of that crap is just regular coffee with differing amounts of cream, sugar, and temperature. The Money Mom makes her own vanilla iced coffee from our coffee maker every day and it is just as good as the stuff that you are paying out the you-know-what for. Save yourself $5+ a day by buying a coffee maker and doing a simple recipe search for your favorite drink.

Dehydrator

When people think about dehydrators they probably think about beef jerky and that's it. Dehydrators are for so much more than beef jerky, and they can end up saving you a ton of money by replacing foods that you regularly buy in the store. Dehydrators ﻿like﻿this one﻿are relatively inexpensive and designed to be easily stored in a cabinet. As far as what you can do with one of these machines to save money on the every day items? You can make fruit leathers (fruit snack replacement), dry herbs, make jerky for half the price, make your own catnip, dry fruits and vegetables, the list goes on and one. It is worth the sub $50 investment for a starter machine. ﻿

Toaster Oven

If you are anything like me, you may think that a toaster oven was something that went out of style in the '50s. I thought that way until I was commissioned to write a toaster oven cookbook. It turns out that these little devices are healthier than a microwave, faster than an oven, and uses less energy than both. They do take up a little counter space, but they are an awesome little gadget that can end up saving you a lot of money in energy costs.

Slow Cooker

How does a slow cooker save you money? First of all, it does not use the same amount of energy as a microwave, or even a toaster oven. Second, you have no excuse to pick up a quick and expensive dinner on the way home. It may just be me, but it feels like food prices have soared over the past decade. A full roast is about a 3rd of the price of picking up a pizza or a bucket of chicken for a family of 4. I use my slow cooker on a regular basis and it stores nicely in a bottom cabinet.

Soda Maker

If you are the kind of person that goes through a couple of cans of soda a day a soda maker could end up saving you hundreds a year. When a 12 pack is around $5 you could easily spend $40 or more a month on soda. There are some downsides, like the lack of portability that a can offers, but overall these machines are worth their weight in carbonation. The best part is that these things are super easy to store.

These are just a few suggestions of small appliances which could end up saving you money. I am sure there are a few that I missed, let me know in the comments if there is a small kitchen appliance that you use to save you money.